Does your group sales marketing program need a jump start?  Here are 10 secrets that will help you to immediately start building your group sales. These 10 expert tips fit entertainment centers of all sizes and shapes. Each has been adapted to bowling anchored centers, movie theatre-anchored entertainment centers, stand-a-lone laser tags, children’s soft modular play & bounce facilities, trampoline parks, amusement pocket parks, glow and mini-golf centers, outdoor mini parks, family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums and of course, leisure adult social entertainment centers. The total concept is to apply one of these different tips each week, (that is why there are 50 tips) and watch your group sales soar.  Here we go –……

  1. Invite one local group or association leader a week to your facility to join you for lunch. Wow them!
  2. Host a holiday preview party to showcase all the new food items and attractions.
  3. Practice the “5 by 10 Rule” – by 10 am every day Monday thru Friday. That means that you and one rotating member of your marketing/sales staff make contact with at least 5 potential groups (leaders and decision makers) by phone every work day like clockwork.
  4. Create your own YouTube video that showcases your facility – add it to your email signature block.
  5. Focus on subgroups of groups – go to meetings and conventions of group leaders and network-network-network and then network some more. Bring something that easily identifies your facility that you can leave with one or more of the group leaders or their assistants. I am not referring to well-designed business cards (with a free something offer on the back side), which you will always have with you 24/7/365 (even when you are on vacation in a far-away place—you never know who you will meet).
  6. Attend your local chamber of commerce event and don’t leave until you have meet at least 10 new people and landed 1-2 group events at your entertainment center.
  7. Enlist your part-time staff as sales people. Reward them for helping you find new groups.
  8. Make qualified phone calls – aim for quality, not quantity of calls. Track your conversion times and closure rate (calls that result in booked events). This can be a competition between you and your staff members. Competition tends to invigorate everyone to go the extra mile.
  9. Post your target numbers. Make the target numbers achievable. Reward those staff members who do the best. In fact, have a celebration for your entire staff when your goals are met. You must always initially set the goal level and that in itself makes it possible to raise the bar in the future.
  10. Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up! Be the first to call/email for the big closing advantage.
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Your first reaction is that this seems like a lot of work? Yes, it’s not easy to start, but these daily/weekly tasks are basic things that all of the most successful businesses in any industry do. Jump on the opportunity and soon these tasks will become part of the ‘culture’ of your organization.

That’s it for now. First thing tomorrow and go out and start growing your group sales. The Crank has advised me that if I receive 10 positive comments from this Guest Blog in the next 10 days, then I can post group sales tips 11-20. You know I am chomping at the bit to give you 10 more tips.  That is in my DNA– HaHa., much the same as ‘the Crank’s.’

Group Sales Secrets to Family Entertainment Centers

Introducing Sheryl Bendelglass by Frank ‘the Crank’

I am honored to have entertainment industry expert Sheryl Bindelglass, CEO (Chief Energizing Officer) of SherylGolf, provide her top 10 ways to grow your group sales programs from her latest book, The PROs Guide to Group Sales. SherylGolf (don’t let the name fool you — everything in this book is spot-on for leisure adult and family entertainment centers) is a top rated consulting, training and master marketing firm. Sheryl is the author of several books that all contain detailed marketing plan outlines for every important revenue generating category of your entertainment facility. The PRO’s Guide fully explains each of the 52 ways and is a great knowledge base for your entire staff.

Hey, the truth is that Sheryl sent me these same 10 group sales tips just to tease me and see if ‘the Crank’ would bite. I have to admit that it actually worked. I ordered the book so I could learn all 52 of her tips and use them in my own consulting business as well as my own operating companies. Of course I already knew some of these tips and I didn’t want to insult Sheryl by telling her that, but there were 49 new ones in the book that I wasn’t aware of. HaHa. I am grateful that Sheryl is such a tease! What else can you expect from someone from New Jersey (like me)?

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If you want all 52 tips right now, you can either purchase this must-have book right now at www.groupsalesbook.com  (and get tons more ideas, forms, and tried and true marketing programs so you can immediately begin to drive your corporate & group & birthday party sales for all 52 weeks in 2016).

If you are too cheap to get the book or have lousy credit (only kidding), post your positive comments and perhaps one or more of your own successful marketing tips on this Frank the Crank Blog and Sheryl will send you Group Sales Tips #21-30.

Another option– tweet your comments to @askcrank or e-mail Frank the Crank directly at [email protected] especially if you want your comments to remain private (that is an open door for even negative comments–‘the Crank’ treats everyone the same)—he is just a cartoon character.

Over the Christmas Holidays, I am going to once again read The PROs Guide to Group Sales and take some serious notes so I can comment on each of the 10 ways (Tips 1-10) that you just read about and how the best of these tips are going to be immediately and actively implemented in 2016 1st Q into my revenue-share and consulting clients’ facilities current marketing programs. Also, from the bottom of the iron heart of ‘the Crank’, I have come across what I refer to as a ‘best of all time’ special group sales marketing tip:

To peak your interest and tease you into wanting more group sales tips (Yeah, ‘the Crank’ can be a tease also), here is one of the all-time best group sales marking tips I have seen with my own eyes:

One of the best outside corporate marketing concepts/programs I’ve ever come across is being done at least twice/week by the outside marketing director of the very successful Solon Freeway Lanes, Solon, OH.  The owner had bowling pins made up that display Solon’s logo, name, address, phone, website, and group/party person’s name, cell phone and email address.  This marketing genius simply walks in a company’s main entrance (even without an appointment) holding two of these beautiful real bowling pins in her hands, gripping them from the bottom (with the pins angled back against her shoulders, ­with all information facing forward. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to immediately know what bowling center she represents and they are immediately curious as to exactly why she is there at the office door of the Executive Assistant to the CEO/President or the head of Human Resources (HR).

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